


Will You Let Me In?

by MJ_DeWile



Series: The Mandalorian's Apprentice [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJ_DeWile/pseuds/MJ_DeWile
Summary: Something is wrong with young Din Djarin, and his Mandalorian surrogate father/mentor must find out why, and figure out how to help his Foundling deal with the issue, or else the Foundling will be unable to continue his training. Through it all they grow stronger in their relationship.
Relationships: Father/Son | Master/Apprentice (Mandalorian)
Series: The Mandalorian's Apprentice [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184159
Comments: 23
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> I've always wanted to know what Mando's (Din Djarin) early life looked like. So I've decided to try a Fanfiction about him. I hope that you enjoy
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, nor the Mandalorian. All credit goes to George Lucas who founded the wonderful Star Wars universe.
> 
> Author's note: This is one of my first fanfics, so it will be probably be quite rough. I am open to critiques and suggestions.

The Beginning

A tall Mandalorian strolled down the long narrow hallway, pausing for a moment to allow two young boys to run past him. Underneath his helmet, he cracked a grin. He couldn't help it. He simply loved the young children who aspired to one day be a Mandalorian. Their eager expressions and adorable faces was contagious, and the Mandalorians who cared for them couldn't help but smile at them, even if no one else saw their faces.

Most of the children there were foundlings-orphaned children-in which a Mandalorian had brought them back to the cohort to be cared for and trained. The Foundlings were important in the Mandalorian religion because traditions and ways were passed down to them keeping the Mandalorians going.

The Mandalorian continued his pace down the hallway, his thoughts drifting back to his own Foundling in which he had rescued nine months ago. He and the Foundling had a difficult start in their relationship, as the Foundling seemed wary and afraid of him, even after he had rescued the boy from certain death had he not intervened. He didn't understand why the boy withdrew from everyone, even himself. The Foundling hardly talked to him, something that he struggled with. The Mandalorian liked to talk and be sociable with everyone he knew, and especially with the children. He liked to listen to their ideas and dreams, and seeing their faces brighten as they talked. But his Foundling was the complete opposite of him, preferring to be quiet and reserved, and saying as little words as he could possibly utter. The Mandalorian sighed as he shook his head. He needed to figure out a way that helped the boy open up a little. Just something to get him talking.

"Hey, Pierce!" A voice from behind him startled the Mandalorian from his thoughts, and he jumped. The Mandalorian named Pierce, as everyone called him, berated himself for not turning on his sensors embedded in his helmet. The younger Mandalorians liked trying to test their stealth abilities on their old Masters, always hoping to catch them off guard.

"You didn't see me coming?" The other Mandalorian chuckled as he walked up to him. "You must be getting old, if you didn't see me with your sensors. I've been trailing you for a while."

"What do you want, Derek?" Pierce asked, trying to sound gruff so that he could mask his amusement from the younger warrior.

"It's Rush, he wants to talk to you," Darek said, suddenly growing serious. "It's kind of urgent."

"Rush?" Pierce asked, feeling a twinge of worry. Rush was the head of the Foundling's training and a schooling. He was the one who organised the training and also dealt with issues that arose during the training. "What's wrong?" Urgent requests from Rush meant that there was an issue with the Foundling.

"He wouldn't say much, except that it's about Din," Darek said. "You better go see him."

Pierce nodded and thanked the Mandalorian before hurrying to Rush's chamber. He wasn't sure what Rush would say, but it sounded serious especially with his own Foundling involved. Pierce never thought of Din as a trouble maker-he couldn't imagine it especially with his Foundling's demeanor. So what was the issue? He knew that Din wasn't improving much in his training, but then, he reasoned, that was because Din had only joined the cohort barely nine months ago. And he probably was still getting over the shock of his parents killed. The Mandalorian arrived at the chamber and knocked.

"Come in," a deep commanding voice rang through the door, and Pierce pressed the "open" button that allowed the door to slid open. He stepped in and strolled up to the desk where Rush sat waiting. Next Rush stood a female Mandalorian in her light green armor.

Rush was larger Mandalorian, and sported light blue armor crafted out of Beskar, tone of the strongest iron in the Galaxy. The Mandalorian gestured to the chair in front of the desk, and Pierce obliged.

"You requested my presence?" Began Pierce, eager to get down to business. He glanced up at the female Mandalorian, feeling fear grip his heart. Why was the Head Trainer here also?

Rush nodded and leaned forward, his arms resting on the desk. "It's your Foundling, Din Djarin. " He said, his voice sober, pausing a moment to collect his thoughts, "he has failed all the physical exams and nearly failed the school exams. He doesn't look good."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate!

The News

"All of them? Pierce asked.

Rush nodded. "I'm afraid that we have only one option."

Pierce's head snapped up, "No." He felt himself go numb. If the Foundling had failed the first exam that would determine his qualification to continue Mandalorian training, then the boy would have to leave the Legion. In fact, he would have to have part of the memory that included the Mandalorians wiped so that he could not reveal the whereabouts of the hidden Cohort. "He will not leave the Legion. I won't let him get part of his brainwashed."

The female Mandalorian sighed heavily as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Pierce, you would not be following the Mandalorian Code and Creed. You know that if a foundling fails his first test, then he must go."

"He won't go," Pierce answered stubbornly, his mind already set. "I don't see how he failed the tests. Whenever I see him, he is studying diligently in his room." And when was the last he had actually seen him and had a good conversation with him? Asked a quiet voice in his mind. In truth, the boy seemed quite afraid of him because he always tried to avoid Pierce as much as possible, and said the least amount of words as possible.

Rush looked up at the Mandalorian and gestured at her, "Tesla has been watching your Foundling for quite a while, and she has noticed lately some things that may have contributed to his failing grades."

Tesla nodded,"He is not doing well, Pierce," she began quietly. "I've noticed that he seems rather malnourished and very tired. He also has episodes during training."

"Malnourished? Episodes?" Pierce asked suddenly feeling a stab of guilt in him. Had he been too busy with his job to not notice that something might be wrong with the boy?

"Din is very weak and cannot keep up with the class without tiring easily." Tesla nodded. "The boy freezes during combat sessions. When somebody does a practise lunge at him, he suddenly can't seem to move at all. It's like he is petrified. You must get to the bottom of this before he leaves."

Pierce felt heat rise in him. Why did they always assume that the boy was not qualified enough to continue because the boy had failed a test due to mental and physical issues that could be sorted out? He liked Rush and Tesla very much, but sometimes their strong adherence to the Creed and Code frustrated him. Pierce was in fact quite the opposite of his two friends. He preferred to do things his own way, to be flexible during the missions and not constrained with codes and creeds. "I will get to the bottom of this, but he is not leaving."

Rush let out an exasperated sigh. "Pierce you are close to crossing that line again."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. "What is it about this Foundling that you feel he must stay and train, even after his failed exams?"

Pierce opened his mouth then closed it. He wasn't quite sure why he seemed so attracted to the boy. Maybe it was the way the boy had looked when he first saw him in that storm shelter. Or maybe when he had rested his chin on his shoulder and hugged him tightly during the flight away from the scene. He looked up and realised that Tesla and Rush were still waiting for an answer. "I'm not really sure what," he began slowly. "Just gut feelings."

"Gut feelings," repeated Tesla. "You know that is not the way to do things."

"I know, but just give him another chance," he argued. "I sense that he will become a great Mandalorian."

"You say that for every new Foundlings who come to us," Rush snorted, then his voice grew serious. "I can see that it's no use persuading you to change your mind. So, I will allow him to stay and redo the course. However, if he fails again, he will not stay. Is that clear?"

Pierce nodded, glad for another chance to get to know the boy more. He hoped that he could. The boy had been avoiding him completely. Well, that was going to change.

Thanking the Mandalorians, he strolled out of the office and down to his room where he and Din lived. Pierce's long and hastened strides, fueled by the desire to make things right with his Foundling, covered the normally five-minute walk to less than two. He entered the apartment and looked around, hoping to see the small shape of his nine-year-old foundling. But the Foundling was nowhere in sight.

His eyes fell on the closed door on the right-hand side of the main room where Din's room was. Pierce strolled over and reached out to turn the door knob then hesitated, his mind whirling with doubts. Would the boy open up to him? Would he reject his help? Pushing aside the thoughts, he knocked, and hearing no reply, twisted the door knob and the door swung open. Pierce froze at the sight of his young Foundling. The young apprentice was slumped on the ground looking very pale and sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note:
> 
> ~ The Children of the Watch, a certain group of Mandalorians who hold strictly to certain rules, which includes not having their helmet off when a person is around them. Their beliefs include that if one takes is helmet off in front of a person or creature, they can no longer be a Mandalorian. (At least that is what I remember from the show. My facts may be a bit off.)
> 
> ~ Pierce, Rush, and Tesla are not the Mandalorians' actual name, because they create a new name (like a code names) once they have taken the Creed. [This idea is based off the last episode in Season one, when the Moff Gideon reveals Mando's true name. Mando says that he has not heard his real name be spoken since he was child (I'm guessing before he swore the Creed. Not sure.)] So for now he with either be called the Foundling, boy, or Din.
> 
> ~ I'm not sure how the Mandalorians would know if a Foundling was able to continue their training. So, I decided to have the Foundlings be allowed to live in Cohort for a year in which he essentially becomes an unofficial young Mandalorian apprentice. And during that time, he follows the Mandalorian Code, studies, and trains. At the end of the months he is given an evaluation to test him to see if he qualifies.
> 
> Thoughts, comments, critiques? 
> 
> Let me know! 
> 
> God Bless!
> 
> ~MJ


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it! Alright! Here's the next chapter!

"Pierce!" Cried Din in surprise as he scrambled onto his feet, his eyes wide with fright as they flicked from the Mandalorian in front of him to the abandoned helmet a few feet away from him. "I—I," he stammered as he backed away his cheeks flushing furiously.

It pained the Mandalorian to see his young Foundling so afraid of him. Why did having a Foundling seem so hard now? It was easier with his previous Foundling; they had developed a strong relationship from the start. But with Din? No bond had been started yet, and it looked like it would be a slow process.

Pierce looked down at the boy who stood in front of him and noticed a quiver in the lip, and he knew what Din was thinking. "I'm not angry with you Din," he knelt down to the Din's level, started to reach out with his hand to rest it on the boy's shoulder, then stopped himself. Would it make it worse? Deciding to risk it, he gently laid a hand on the small shoulders and felt the boy shiver under his touch. He frowned; the boy seemed to be burning up. "Din, are you feeling alright?" He asked suddenly.

The boy's head jerked up, and Pierce saw something in the brown eyes, pain. The boy was in pain. His hand moved to Din's forehead, feeling for a temperature. The boy's forehead seemed to be on fire, and instantly Pierce sensed that he was sick, very sick. "I'm going to take you to the Healers," he said quickly, making a move to pick the boy up. Din's eyes widened as he backed away from his mentor, shaking his head the whole time.

"I'm fine," tried Din, "I don't need to—" Suddenly Din gasped sharply. He clutched at his stomach, his face paled and a flash of pain crossed his face as his legs buckled underneath him.

"Din!" Pierce was at the boy's side instantly, catching him before Din hit the ground. Fear gripping him. What was wrong with his Foundling? The small body shivered uncontrollably, and yet the boy was so hot. Swiftly and easily, Pierce scooped the boy into his strong arms and hurried out of their apartment.

"Stay with me kid," Pierce crooned gently into the boy's ear, hugging the precious bundle closely to his body. He wished that the halls were large enough to simply fly to the infirmary; it would be faster.

He turned a corner and nearly ran a young Mandalorian over in his haste. The Mandalorian leapt aside surprised, "Pierce!"

Pierce recognised the voice to belong to Darek's. "Not now!" He called over his shoulder.

A second later, Darek was running alongside the Mandalorian, " What's wrong with him?" He asked looking over at the limp form of Din.

"I don't know," The Mandalorian replied shortly, his mind intent on getting his Foundling to the infirmary as quickly as he can.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived, and Pierce glanced around the waiting room, looking for the healers. Where were they? Just then a young healer-in-training Mandalorian stepped into the room. The Mandalorian went up to her, "Foundling Bo, where is Healer Kalin?"

"She just finished performing surgery," Bo informed him, and then looked down at Din, "I will fetch her right away."

The Mandalorian thanked her and she disappeared behind the door. Pierce glanced down at the boy, and gently brushed aside the curly untidy hair from the small pale face. How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he spent more time with Din? He knew that if he had spent more time with the boy, he would have noticed the issues sooner. He berated himself for his blindness towards the boy's issues.

"Pierce."

The Mandalorian looked up to see Healer Kalin standing in front of the door. He strolled over her, struggling to keep his anxiety hidden. "I don't know what his wrong with him," he began.

"I will check him out," she said, then turning to Bo, she spoke quickly to her, who nodded and immediately went to do her mentor's bidding. A few minutes later, Bo returned with a stretcher, and Pierce carefully laid the Din on the bed. Kalin turned to him, "I'll let you know the results, but for now you must wait here."

Pierce nodded reluctantly knowing that it would be a waste of effort to argue, and he soberly watched his Foundling being rolled away down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Comments, critiques, or suggestion?
> 
> Let me know!
> 
> ~ M.J.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I apologise for the long wait. School and life kept me from posting sooner. 
> 
> Also, this chapter is probably not the best I've ever written but it helps to set the stage for my next chapter.

“Will you please sit down?” Darek’s exasperated voice broke the tense silence. “Wearing a hole in the floor won’t speed up the time.”

The Mandalorian paused in front of him.“It’s been three hours! How long does it take to diagnose someone?” he asked, his anxiety causing him to snap. He let out a frustrated sigh and continued to pace in front of the young warrior.

“Your Foundling didn’t look good,” Darek reminded him. “There could have been other problems wrong with him, and perhaps the Healer is just finding out.”

"That’s comforting to know,” Pierce muttered dryly. "But I wish that she would let me know sooner.”

“Pierce,” began Darek. “The Foundling is being treated by the most capable and experienced Healer around. Don’t worry, he is in good hands.”

“I guess you’re right,” Pierce said gravely. “But still…”

He watched the clock hand slowly make its way around, his thoughts drifting back to the first time he had met Din. The boy had looked scared and relieved at the same time, and he couldn’t blame him; after all, Din had barely escaped the droid. When he had taken the boy back to the cohort, he knew it would be a difficult transition for the Foundling. But he had never realized that adjusting to the new life impacted the boy so much, causing him to do so poorly at the cohort. Most Foundlings started off rough the first few months, but as they adjusted, with love and bonding, they start to show improvement. Yet with Din, nine months had passed, and no bonding or improvement had occurred. What was it that held Din back?

Just then, the door to the waiting room swung open, and the young apprentice stepped inside the room. Instantly, Darek and Pierce leaped up from their chair, both eager to know what was wrong with Din.

“My Foundling? Is he alright?” demanded the older Mandalorian.

Bo nodded slowly, though she seemed a little apprehensive of the older Mandalorian’s reactions; however, sensing that he was deeply concerned for his apprentice, she said quickly, “Your Foundling is doing well from his operation—”

“Operation?” Pierce interrupted, fear rising in him. Was his apprentice that bad off?

She nodded, “he is waking up and will be ready to see you. But before you do, Healer Kalin would like to talk to you first," added Bo when she saw Pierce moving towards the door. “I can take you to her office.”

The older Mandalorian reluctantly agreed and followed the apprentice down the hall, his mind busy with trying to understand the reason for the need for an operation based on the symptoms he had seen.

“Hello, Pierce,” greeted Kalin when the Mandalorian stepped into her office a few minutes later.

“How are you?” she asked, gesturing to a chair that stood in front of her desk.

“What’s wrong with my Foundling?” Pierce asked immediately after settling into the chair, his voice business-like.

The Healer sighed and leaned back in her chair, “always down to business,” Kalin said lightly before she too turned serious. She retrieved a datapad from a drawer in her desk and handed it to him. “Read this.”

He took it and began to read when he looked up sharply. “Pneumonia?”

“Thankfully, we caught it in the early stages,” nodded Kalin. “Your Foundling will recover from it easily enough. He will need to stay here while I monitor him. I am puzzled, however, with how he managed to come down with pneumonia. At the moment, with his conditions and performances, I can not imagine him breaking into so much sweat that he would get pneumonia. If I didn’t know better, I would say that he has been out in the rain a lot. It has been rainy in Mandalore lately. What do you think, Pierce?”

“I don’t know,” he shook his head and sighed heavily, then glanced down at the pad and then up again. “Appendicitis?” he exclaimed.

Kalin nodded gravely, “We removed the appendix just before it ruptured.”

He had seen enough, and setting aside the datapad, he asked, “May I see my apprentice, now?”

He was eager to make sure that his Foundling was comfortable and begin the process of making amends between them.

Kalin nodded and led him to a small room and left, acknowledging that master and apprentice needed time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, one more chapter to go!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Critiques, comments, or concerns?
> 
> Let me know!
> 
> God Bless!
> 
> ~MJ


End file.
